Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

Michael Kenji Shinoda was born in Agoura, California on February 11, 1977. He met guitarist Brad Delson in 9th grade and started writing songs in his bedroom. Brad and Rob Bourdon used to play for numerous bands in high school. This started Mike on the way to becoming a singer. Mike met Joseph Hahn in art school, Joe had been djing for 5 years. Brad met Phoenix Farrell in college and Chester Bennington was the last to join, in 1999. Mike designed the cover for the Hybrid Theory album.

Created Fort Minor- a side project which he did with friends. The album is called 'The Rising Tied'.

Wife, Anna Shinoda is an Author for kids books'. She get's inspired by kids' everyday, and being able to tour with Mike help's as well. She has her own site annashinoda.com for her writing skill's

Lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Putting the finishing touches on a solo album featuring various underground artists. [July 2005]

Personal Quotes (10)

Most of us met a long time ago. Brad and I met in junior high and we met Rob in high school, we met Joe in college.

I am playing every instrument on there, but it's not really about me. I'm featuring a lot of great MCs that are friends of mine. I want to work with people that I'm friends with, that I get along with. I'm not just going to go out there and grab whoever's hot at the moment. I want to connect with people I see eye-to-eye with, and make great music. Like I said, it's not really about me. [about his hiphop sideproject, Fort Minor]

Fort' is something that's heavy and militant. 'Minor' is taken one of two ways: either meaning small or meaning ... between the two basic chords in music theory, you've got major or minor, and minor is described as the darker, sadder chord. The album is about the dynamic when you put all those things together. You've got that spectrum.

My bandmates in LP were very excited for me to be able to show the fans what I do individually. I wouldn't have done this without their complete support. In fact, I picked our guitarist Brad Delson as my A&R guy!

Tariq Trotter, Kenna and Common were some of the first artists that I got in contact with about Fort Minor. I remember when I asked Common about doing a song on the record: I started playing for him what I had done so far and, after every song, he said, 'I want to be on that one!'

I do my best to try and just do interviews via email because I've had so many experiences where people have kind of minced my words. I just want an accountability on the other person's end for taking down what I'm saying accurately. I'm careful with my words and to kind of assume that I meant something similar to what I said isn't really fair.

"We didn't get any new rhymes from Jay, and I will say this about it: I respect his retirement" [When asked if Jay Z is making an appearance in the debut album of Fort Minor].

I feel like hip-hop right now is a lot of keyboard and minimalist stuff, and something I personally wanted to do is bring some of that organic feel back to it, that '90s hip-hop, maybe the Boogie Down Productions or that Native Tongues type of thing or Wu-Tang Clan. So it's a lot of live instrumentation, but it still bangs like a sample. [about the uniqueness of the hiphop music he makes, like on the Fort Minor album]

"I just helped score this year's MTV VMA's. Those beats, and the fact that people are starting to hear Fort Minor music, has gotten me a lot of calls to produce songs for people. I did a track on Lupe Fiasco's upcoming album, songs for Styles of Beyond, and worked with Chad from The Neptunes on a song for Kenna. On the rock side, I'm about to get started on a remix of U2 and hopefully a song with Sting. I don't know what will all pan out, but I just go where the path takes me" [About his recent collaborations].

"I just don't want to bring out an album under my name, because then everybody would say, "Oh its that guy from 'Linkin Park'". Besides, I attach great importance to my privacy. If there were my name everywhere I would be scared. I'm not keen on being a star and I'm not fancy that paparazzi will follow me" [About why he chose to use the moniker "Fort Minor"].